Those Emotions Could Not Become Lies
by KeyLimeChibi
Summary: Her actions and words betrayed her years; all while his actions seemed to be going nowhere. She's in such a hurry to grow up, all while he's wishing he never did. Age switch AU, rated for possible language. HopuRai.
1. Prologue

**"Ever changing from red to blue, those emotions could not become lies."**

**- LM.C, _Liar Liar_**

He looked over the mail, scowling. Another failed class. Even if he wasn't already in his twenties, it felt like with every failing grade he was mailed, he got five years older. It was like it was going to wear away at him.

The doorbell rang. He sighed, and tossed the mail to the counter. "Coming."

His apartment was fairly well-to-do, thanks to his father. Being on the 5th floor, his room had an intercom and camera on the entryway like most others – so you know who you're letting into the building when they buzz for you.

He flicked the on switch. Standing in the entryway in front of the guarded door was a girl in uniform – a school uniform. The Sanctum Academy one, to be precise. She had salmon pink hair flowing over one shoulder in a twisting wave, but he couldn't see much else besides that and her uniform. Oh, and she had bags with her. What looked like a single luggage bag.

He raised a brow. Just who the hell was this?

"Hello?" He spoke through the intercom. On the camera, he saw her do the same.

"_Is this the residence of Hope Estheim?"_

He paused for a minute. Yes, his name was on the directory, but she spoke so formally.

". . . Yes? And who is this?"

"_Lightning Farron."_

That . . . wasn't helpful. He was about to ask for more than her name, but someone else came into the entryway. Another pink haired woman, a bit older this time, and an egregiously tall blond man. He couldn't hear what they were saying with the intercom off, but realized they looked a little out of breath. The man put a hand on the girl's – Lightning, or something? – shoulder, to try and lead her out of the building. She responded with what looked like a hard fist to his gut. If the man was any smaller, it looked like it would've hurt a lot more.

* * *

Hope didn't hear anything about the strange occurrence until the day after, when he got a call from someone he hadn't spoken to in a long time.

"Hello?" He answered the phone after two or three rings.

"_Hey, is this Hope?"_ the voice on the other end asked. After an acknowledging grunt, the voice seemed to cheer up. It was a man's voice. _"Hey, how're you doing? It's Snow, remember?"_

He thought back. Of course he remembered. His mother . . .

But that was so long ago. No more bad blood, he reminded himself.

"Do you need something?" Hope responded after the usual conversational rounds of 'I'm fine, how are you?'s.

"_Listen, uh, I wanted to apologize for yesterday."_

"Yesterday?"

"_Yeah. A girl rang up your apartment and such, right?"_

"Oh, that. I thought it was you from the lobby camera . . . What was that about, anyhow? Who was that girl?"

Snow cleared his throat on the other end of the line. _"You remember my wife, Serah, right? She has a younger sister named Éclair."_

Now that puzzled the young man. "Éclair? Not Lightning?"

"_Lightning? Oh, I guess she told you that. Look, it's kind of a long story, do you mind if we meet up? I – well, we; Serah and I – we want to ask a favour. I know it's kind of out of the blue, but . . ."_

It didn't take long for Hope to agree. Anything to get his mind off of his slowly failing university career.

**AN:**

_[/gulp] So here's the first chapter. I'm still not sure how I'm gonna work this out – it's still a plotbunny-induced WIP. I've seen a lot of – cough, and wrote – stuff where Hope is older, so I thought, hell, why not make Lightning younger? _

_Just a little bit, I promise._

_I've seen age-switch fics, but so far, none for HopuRai. So, here goes the family flow chart as it is for this AU:_

Hope – twenty-one. _I imagine that if he didn't grow up the way he did in FFXIII, he'd have little direction in life._

Lightning – Fourteen-fifteen-esque. _And already a hard-ass._

Serah – eighteen-twenty-ish – Lightning's older sister.

Snow - . . . Nothing's different about him, OTL.

_I'm gonna try and portray Lightning's name change with as much maturity as possible, because I'm afraid I might end up making it seem juvenile. I know the prospect of it during her mid teens can be seen as . . . well, childish. (IMO, it's freaking cool.) Next chapter will be up soon! _


	2. Approach

"**A jarring noise in the distance is approaching . . ."**

When was the last time he had seen Snow? Maybe a year or so ago. The man almost made sure kept in contact with Hope. Well, for good reason – in Snow's mind, anyhow. It was irritating and frustrating at first, though the young man had slowly gotten used to it. That was all in the past though, nowadays Snow was more of a long-distance friend.

They met at an outside café of sorts. Hope was alone at the patio table for only a few minutes before a trio came to join him. The first one to spot him was Serah – that was her name, right? He'd only talked to her on very few occasions. She was around his age, he could assume, with soft pink hair tied to the side. She was probably of average height, but it was hard to tell with the monstrous mass of Snow next to her. He, on the other hand, hadn't changed at all. Still blond and a bit scraggly looking, and impossibly tall.

The third member he didn't recognize so much. She had the same soft-coloured hair as Snow's wife, though a bit more salmon-y in colour. She was younger, he could tell, but more or less on par with Serah in height. And though after recognizing him, Serah smiled and adjusted Snow's attention towards him, the younger girl's complacent expression didn't change at all.

"Hey, it's good to see you again!" Snow grinned with a wave. Hope waved back, with a half-smile of his own.

They all sat around the square table; Snow on Hope's left, Serah on his right, and the other girl – whom he could assume was Lightning, or Éclair, or whatever – across from him. He could tell she was sizing him up with her contemplative gaze, unyielding in her examining.

"I guess we should introduce properly," Serah smiled. "Hope, this is my sister –"

"Lightning," the younger cut in, her eyes not once faltering.

Hope nodded. For a young girl, she was definitely intimidating enough. "I'm Hope Estheim. Nice to meet you. . ." He deliberated – Snow had said her name was Éclair, right? Where did the Lightning part come from?

Snow took the silence as his turn to speak. "I guess we should get down to business," he turned to Hope, "You're going back to Palumpolum for the summer, right?"

Hope had been going to Cristallisé University; the Bodhum campus. His father had paid for him to have an off-site apartment, as well. But with the school year now over, he didn't have much desire to stay in his apartment. It made him restless, not to mention a little anxious for the coming year.

He nodded. "Mm, just for the summer. The new semester starts in September. Why?"

"Ah, well, you see," Serah began, "Lightning is joining the Guardian Corps."

Part of his mind thought, oh, she does look like the type, while his body took that chance to take a sip of his water glass and let it flow down his windpipe.

"A-at such a young age?" Hope tried to masquerade the little choking problem with a cough. Lightning didn't seem impressed.

Snow shook his head. "Hah, you'd think that with her army colonel personality –"

Hope safely assumed within the walls of his mind that someone kicked Snow from under the table, considering A. he stopped talking, and B. There was a slight shake of the table. As to who kicked him – Serah or Lightning – he wasn't sure; they both made faces at the man.

"Anyhow," Serah continued on, passing a glance to her husband, as if to ask if he had any more smart comments to make, "Before she can join, they do a sort of training camp."

"It's a two-month regimen at the bayside PSICOM base to evaluate candidates for the two factions." Lightning clarified evenly.

Hope thought for a moment. "Ah, I think I get it. That's the base outside Palumpolum."

Snow nodded. "There are lodgings for the recruits and all, but we were wondering if you could show her around Palumpolum."

He nodded. "I don't mind." He had little else to do, after all.

Lightning stood up then.

"Lightning?" Serah asked.

"Since I'm not needed for this conversation," she began in a flat tone, "I'm going home to pack."

She turned on her heel and promptly exited, but not before reaching into her pocket and tossing some gil to the table – to pay for the glass of water she didn't drink, he supposed.

Serah opened her mouth to say something, but decided against it. Hope raised a brow.

"Is it okay to just . . . ?" He couldn't quite find the word for it.

Snow laughed dryly. "Let her go? Yeah."

"Éclair . . . Lightning, she just has a hard time connecting to people sometimes." Serah laced her fingers together. "Our parents passed away a few years ago, and at the time, I just really wasn't in control of anything. Light took it upon herself to, well, take care of things. She's always so strong willed and stubborn. She even tried to get a job so we'd financially be stable, but her age hindered that."

With her attitude, Hope thought to himself, she could easily pass for older.

"So, uh," Snow looked about like he was about to spill a secret. "She's gonna be far from home, so we were wondering if, you know, you could look out for her while she's at the base? Like, show her around Palumpolum on free days or something. Sis won't allow anyone to look after her – but we're not asking you to babysit or anything. She'd kill us."

Sera nodded. "She needs someone else in her life. Light has grown such a hard outer shell, she's shut everyone out. I can usually get through to her about things, but when she told me she was enlisting. . ."

Hope shook his head. "I . . . think I get it. Don't worry, I'll see what I can do."

What he didn't tell Serah and Snow was that he was going into this fairly blind, with no plan. Just like the other aspects of his life.

**AN:**

_Hey, everyone! I never expected to get such positive reviews so quickly for this little mind-dribble! Thank you all so much, I'll do my best to write something you'll all enjoy.  
_

_In regards to younger Lightning's personality, I'm going to do my best to stay true to the stoic sergeant we all know and love and bow down to. I'm sure there will be some point where a kind of childishness will pull through – I mean, that's the whole twist with her being younger, right? Right._

_PS. At the moment, it's crunch time for me school wise. I'll try to update in my free time, but until my exams, I won't really have many chances to write. Please bear with me~!  
_


	3. Sharpen

"**And as you turn the corner, the sound sharpens."**

They met again at the train station a week later. Snow and Serah had somehow gotten him to succumb to a simple schedule that included him making sure Lightning was ferried around properly. He wasn't so sure how thrilled the recruit herself would be about this; and truthfully, he wasn't sure how thrilled he himself was.

He spotted her out of the corner of his eye as he handed his luggage to the carrier. She seemed to reciprocate, marching straight in his direction after making eye contact.

"Did you navigate through the train station okay?" He asked conversationally in greeting. Might as well start somewhere.

"It's a train station, not a maze," she deadpanned, handing off her bag to the same carrier.

This was going to be a long train ride, Hope thought.

He looked around. "Snow and Serah aren't here to see you off?"

She frowned as if she wasn't already grimacing slightly. "I told them the train left an hour later."

"And. . . how okay are they going to be with that when they find out you lied?"

"They'll have to deal with it." Lightning passed him, heading towards the boarding platform. "And besides, it was their collective assumption that I need looking after."

So she's proving that she can be independent, Hope thought dully in his head, and making sure they know she's pissed. In a way, it was a little bit childish, but at the same time, most kids wouldn't have the gall to actually do it. (He wouldn't at that age anyhow, or even currently.)

The train seating was divided into six-seat rooms, four rooms per car. Bodhum was much more of a vacation destination than Palumpolum – the real human traffic was on the train going in the opposite direction, so Hope and Lightning found they had a section to themselves. Since they had enough room, the two of them sat across from each other, Lightning staring absently out the window, Hope reading a book.

Well, pretending to read. He never had much of an attention span for literature unless it was extremely captivating.

After about half an hour of this, Hope abandoned the book. Lightning was still looking out the window absent-mindedly – what was so interesting about the metropolis scenery anyhow?

"So . . ." he tried striking conversation; catch her attention with something relating to her, he thought. "Your name isn't actually Lightning, is it?"

When he first spoke up, she had only turned an eye to him. Now that the topic was on her, she looked at him completely. Looking at her now, if she didn't wear such an irked expression all the time, she would be quite pretty for her age. Not like what a lot of girls would assume make them pretty – buying makeup years ahead of them and doing their hair for hours. She was much more natural looking – no false beautification. The prettiest roses have the sharpest thorns, after all.

"It is now," Lightning responded. It took Hope a minute to remember he had asked about her name. She looked over to her carry on bag – a worn old backpack – and pulled out a set of printed papers stapled together. Holding them out for him to see, he noticed they were registration forms. Enlisting papers.

_'Farron, Lightning E.'_ read on the top.

". . . Ah," was all he found he could say.

She put the papers back, and eyed him for a moment. "What about you?"

"What about me?"

"Your name," She clarified, " 'Hope' isn't common for a boy."

"Well 'Lightning' isn't common for anyone."

"Neither is 'Snow', but I didn't say anything."

He choked on a laugh; not quite expecting her to have a sense of humour – even if it was a dry one. The story behind his name was, in his opinion, a little lame, but he never really minded elaborating on memories of his mother.

"My mom picked my name – apparently she got sick when she was pregnant. Even thought about not having the baby, it was so bad. But once I was born, she didn't regret anything she had gone through – I was her 'Hope'."

Lightning was quiet. A minute was long enough for him to feel awkward.

"Or so she told me, anyhow," He added on quickly.

"It's a nice story." For a minute, he thought she was going to smile. And she almost did – almost. Her emotionless frown loosened for a fraction of a second.

Subject change. "Out of curiosity, what made you enlist?" he asked after a moment. Might as well keep their unsaid game of twenty questions going, otherwise the train ride was going to take forever.

"I want a job with good pay and good training," She answered like it was rehearsed. Her gaze delved back to the window. "And. . ."

"And?"

Her frown creased a little more. "I don't want to be stuck in the house all summer."

Hope rested his elbow on the edge armrest, and in turn his head in his palm. "Is it about your sister and brother-in-law?"

"He's _not_ my brother," she glared.

"Well he's marrying Serah, isn't he? And Serah's your sister, so –"

"He's not going to marry her," Lightning crossed her arms. "He's muscle and that's it. He's dumb as a bag of hammers – and you'd probably pay more for that than him."

Harsh, Hope mentally winced; Snow had it harder with his in-law than he would've thought.

Thinking back though, Hope didn't like Snow much – if at all – when they first met. "Snow sucks at first impressions, doesn't he."

"I don't know what Serah sees in him."

Serah, with his little knowledge of her personality, seemed like someone who wouldn't leave anyone out. Hope had a feeling that despite the closeness of the sisters, Lightning was feeling something like a third wheel.

He mentally noted to chide Snow next time they met up.

* * *

The train ride had been a solid six hours or so, so they arrived in Palumpolum in the late afternoon. The rest of the ride was half simple chatter, half comfortable silence. Lightning somehow managed to fit his first impressions of her, and at the same time be much more than that with the way she talked. She was strong for her age in many aspects.

The Sanctum Recruit Training Regimen (the mouthful had been shortened to SRTR) started tomorrow. They had a spare bedroom in the Estheim household anyhow, but his father would be away for the next few months due to politics and events in Eden - in the end, there was more than enough space to let Lightning stay for the night. Originally, he was a little surprised Serah and Snow asked him to let Lightning stay with him before the recruit training - He was a healthy young man after all, and she was a young girl. Taking her personality into account, and whatever training she's already had, he came to assume that possible physical harm to her wasn't anything to worry about.

It was weird for him to be walking back into his house. Maybe because he'd been away all year. He hadn't come back on the winter break; his dad was away then too, what would be the point of coming back? The only equivalent feeling to nostalgia that was inside him was a growing anonymity of it all. And the two feelings never mix.

"It's bigger than I thought," Lightning remarked after he set down the things in the entry hall. "Then again, so was your apartment . . ."

"Hm?" He couldn't hear her mutters as he chucked his shoes to the side.

"Nothing," She said, leaving her bag by the side – there was no point unpacking if she was leaving for the base the next day. "Do you live alone?"

"My Dad lives here too," Hope answered, setting his own things next to the stairs so he would remember to bring them back to his room. "But he's away for the time being; a business trip in Eden."

Walking into the kitchen, Hope searched the cupboards and fridge for something to fix for dinner for the two of them, while Lightning looked around the house. He expected the cupboards to be a little bare, and they didn't disappoint – which was why he subjected to ordering pizza.

He decided, for the sake of not starving to death, he'd go grocery shopping tomorrow after seeing Lightning off to the base.

**AN:**

_I know, I know, I break chapters at such weird points. ;;;; I'm having more fun with the banter between a young-but-mature Lightning and an actually-mature Hope. I love writing for the two of them normally anyhow, though. SO, how's everyone faring with my headcanon for this AU?_

_I also know I said I'm doing a lot of work at school right now, yet I'm updating. . . ha ha. ;;;;;; well I finished a big project today, so I was feeling like I deserved a bit of writing time. _

_Just as well, I'm going to try and get more romantic aspects into this, I'm getting there, promise. . . OTL. This is what I get for messing with the make-or-break dynamic of a pairing! _

_AND, a little note on my rendition of Snow and Serah in this: _

_Serah and Lightning are close, so naturally they're protective of each other; this is still present in this AU. And Snow. . . is Snow. His million-dollar lottery ticket prize is his big happy family, right? I feel he'd become concerned with Lightning's well-being quickly in the prospect of being related some day, whether she likes it or not. (Like the game.) But because now Lightning is the younger one, I can imagine Serah and Snow would sort of subconsciously try and take more parental-roles in regards to Light. (Again, whether she likes it or not.) But I have a feeling those kind of concerns and closeness would only make Lightning, the lone wolf she is, feel awkward. I hope this helps everyone see where I'm coming from for this fic._

_Please continue to follow and support me in this. 3 _


	4. Moving

"**Coming in close, moving far away, being in sight – I'm not touched by these things."**

After a night of pizza and mild jabs at cooking skills (or lack thereof), Lightning retired at eleven, saying she should sleep early to be ready for tomorrow. Hope, having little else to do, did the same, though not for the same reasons. He just genuinely wanted to sleep.

He set his alarm to what he thought was early enough, though it wasn't, apparently, since Lightning was up earlier than him. He could smell something pleasant, and simple; toast?

In a most gracious manner (sleepily stumbling down the stairs with a hand up his shirt, scratching at an itch on his back) he found his houseguest in the kitchen pouring cereal into a bowl.

Tell you a secret: Hope's never woken up to a woman in the house since he was fourteen, and that was his mother.

"I'm surprised you salvaged something out of those bare cupboards," he mused mildly. Lightning didn't face him directly, only grunt in reply and set two bowls of cereal on the table, and a stack of toast. Hope was a little surprised. "I didn't think I would get some too."

"It's not like I'm going to be ungrateful," Lightning looked at him now, unemotional as the day before.

"That's not – well, thanks." Hope dug out some cutlery for the two of them, sitting down across from Lightning.

"I'm surprised someone actually lives here day by day," Lightning said between spoonfuls of cereal. She was still in her pajamas, so she couldn't have been up much earlier than he. "There's nothing in the cupboards."

Hope laughed dryly. "Someone lives here, yeah, but you can't really call it 'day by day'. My Dad's never home for more than a week, and he can't cook to save his life, so he orders out all the time."

"And you?"

"Me? I don't normally live here; not since I started university."

The morning was fairly quiet, and once the food was no longer in sight, Hope took the dishes.

"You want to go get ready? I'll clean up."

She nodded, and walked back to the second floor.

* * *

Hope had loaded her bags – well, bag – into the car when Lightning came back down with her carry-on knapsack. She had something of a militia-style uniform, a high-necked tunic-like jacket with knee-length cargos, plentiful of pockets and belt loops to carry supplies and the like, all of which being within a gray and black colour scheme. The only thing that wasn't monochrome coloured were the brown calf-high boots. Even the shoulder guard insets that glowed faintly were white, symbolizing no specified rank; that in itself being the rank of a recruit.

"Ready to go?"

She nodded.

Lightning hadn't expected Hope to be a good driver, or even know how to drive, but he surprised her. He didn't have a car when he was in Bodhum, as far as she knew – he must've learned pre-post-secondary.

The car ride was mostly silent. Not as awkward as the train ride, but the lack of noise was noticeable.

"Did you knock on my door in Bodhum because you knew I was coming back to Palumpolum, and thought you could hitch a ride?"

She looked to him. He wasn't looking at her, he was looking at the road like a good driver should.

"Out of mild curiosity, I'm just wondering," Hope continued, "I've never been Nicky-Nine-door'd before." They stopped at a red light.

She shrugged, leaning against the arm rest of her seat. "I wasn't going to ring and run, if that's what you mean. Yeah, I thought I could get a ride to Palumpolum without Serah and Snow's help. They talked about you before."

"You're really against them, aren't you?" He turned onto another road, changing lanes.

"Not _them,_" Lightning corrected. "Just Snow." She frowned out the window. "He's an idiot. I come home and find the two of them there, and he jumps up and says, 'welcome home, little sis!' like a moron."

Hope laughed dryly. "That does sound like him."

"Before I even knew he proposed, too. It was stupid."

"And you . . . ?"

"Kneed him in the crotch."

As hard as it was to imagine a man two metres tall crumbling before a fifteen-year-old girl, the thought was terribly amusing.

"Well there's something else you'll get out of Sanctum training," they turned onto another road; the waterfront and PSICOM base in sight, "more ways to keep Snow off of Serah."

She smirked. "Damn straight."

* * *

He pulled up at the side of the base, wired fences lining the piping and buildings that made up the complex of the Bayside PSICOM set-up. He had seen it a lot in his childhood, and besides the few modernizations here and there, the layout was basically the same. As usual, PSICOM grunts stood at each entrance as well as within the fences.

"Can you navigate through the base?" He asked. Hope couldn't picture Lightning getting lost, but a government army base was hardly accommodating to newcomers.

"I have directions; and people will know I'm in the SRTR," She motioned to the glowing stripes on her shoulder guard.

Hope hummed. "Do you have days outside of the base? Like days off of training."

She thought a moment. "SRTR functions six days a week from six am to six pm in various locations each week. Sundays we're allowed to leave the base, unless we're in another location at the time."

"Then I'll pick you up on Sunday."

She narrowed her gaze. "Why? I can stay at the base, I don't _have_ to leave."

Hope shrugged. "Well, why not? Everyone needs a break from stuff; C'mon, you don't have to be a workaholic at fifteen. I'll show you around Palumpolum so you won't get lost if you're on your own."

"I won't get lost," she grunted, but continued, "But I do want to see Palumpolum."

He was going to take that as a yes, he will pick her up on Sunday.

Lightning turned to leave without much more than that.

"Hey, Lightning?"

She turned back to him. "What?"

"Don't get too blinded by focus," he chuckled. "Snow's an idiot, but he makes Serah happy, doesn't he?"

She frowned again. ". . . Yeah, he does." Lightning turned to go a second time, and stopped, a second time.

"Thanks, Estheim."

He quirked a brow. "Estheim? You're making me feel like my father. Just call me Hope."

She gave a sigh of fake exasperation, rolling her eyes. "Well I'm not gonna say it again, Hope, if that's what you wanted."

* * *

He defended Snow. What possessed him to do that? Hope rested his head on the back of his seat, hands on the wheel even if the car wasn't going anywhere.

Snow wasn't by nature a bad person, he knew that. He had bad habits, yes, but he never had bad intentions. Hope had no _real_ desire to associate with Snow other than knowing his name, but now he was accommodating (partially) the man's supposed sister-in-law.

Hope would admit his inner jealousy for the brash man. Snow had purpose in him, he knew what he was going to do with his life, when and where it was going to go down. He and Serah were probably back in Bodhum thinking of names for whatever kids they have right now. Probably planning out a wedding, small enough to be quaint but with a rowdy enough party to be fun. They were engaged for a few months now, as far as Hope could vaguely remember being told. Snow was hardly the average man, but even Hope could picture him going straight from the wedding ceremony to the classic white-fenced house for a family of four, complete with pets and barbeques and domestication as far as the eye can see. (Though he really had to wonder how long domestication would hold on someone like Snow.)

Then there was Hope. Mother died young, Father constantly working in the bureaucracy. Going into university because, really, nobody can hold a job with just basic skills any more. But what was he going to do with his life? Hell if he knew. School courses didn't interest him, and he never really connected to anyone on or off campus.

And now a teenage girl knew more about her future than he did at twenty-one. Lightning knew what she was going to be doing; joining the army, making money, providing for her family, and keeping Snow off Serah.

"I just need to sort out my own damn life, not worry about others'," Hope sighed to nobody. He leaned forward onto the wheel—

_HRRRRN_

–only to sit back up, startled by the horn of the car going off thanks to his head butt. A few PSICOM heads turned, he noticed.

Hope decided it was probably best to pull out of the lot now . . .

**AN:**

_I'm sorry for the delay! School is done, roleplays are back into my to-do list, and all of a sudden everyone wants me around for one reason or another. I'm going to try and update more regularly now. Please continue read along, and tell me what you think!_

_Thank you to everyone for their kind reviews, faves and watches! I'm so glad this story has gone over so well, I honestly never expected it to. I'm slowly chugging along, thinking of storyline plot, but if anyone has a suggestion or something they'd like to see, feel free to mention it! I'm always open to suggestions._

_Next up will be Lightning's first week of training. I'm gonna slowly try and worm other characters in as well, though I don't know if I'll play with their ages too. I'm going to try and not, but we'll see how things go. (That is, unless everyone wants to other see age switched characters? Like I said, suggestions are super awesome.) I'm also still trying to work in something a little more humourous without being either out of place nor forced. I forgot how hard it was to work with humour in a non-humour-centric story. [/cries]_


	5. Crumpled

"**Valuable things always get crumpled like that."**

As soon as Lightning entered the base, and gave her papers to the senior PSICOM sergeant, she was shuffled into a line of recruits already present. The ages varied – there was no age cap on who could enlist – but the majority of the other recruits were within the eighteen-to-thirty range, with various stragglers outside the average. This included her.

There were also very few women, Lightning noted with a roll of her eyes. From what she could see, however, she was one of the youngest here, if not the youngest. Fifteen was the minimum after all, and nobody really enlisted right away anyhow.

"Stand at attention!"

The line of recruits stiffened to perfect posture; she was no exception.

"Announcing Lieutenant Yun Fang!"

A slew of recruit eyes shifted. From within the base came a dark haired woman in a Guardian Corps uniform with a blue and black scheme. On her shoulders were the same parallel lines as everyone else – except hers pulsed an orange colour; the markings of a Lieutenant. Her hair was longish and wild, the same dark tint as her eyes. She was tan, with a knowing, playful smirk.

"Good to see new faces around here," she grinned, an accent that Lightning couldn't place curving the woman's words. "I'm Lieutenant Yun Fang; you may refer to me as such. I'm going to be in charge the Sanctum Recruit Training regiment for the next two months; you better be damn well prepared for it, yeah?"

She looked over the recruits, eyes resting on a few specifics as she paced back and forth before them. She straightened one boy's posture with a slap on the back, adjusted another man's shoulder guard with a tug. She finally made it to Lightning, near the end of the line. She stopped, and gave the girl a full look over.

"Name? How old are you, recruit?"

"Lightning Farron; I'm fifteen, Ma'am," Lightning answered stoically, purposefully staring forward.

"Mmm, haven't had meat as fresh as you around here in a long time," the Lieutenant crossed her arms thoughtfully, a hand under her chin. She unfolded her arms, and continued down the line. "Good luck."

After looking over everyone, Fang resumed her position in front of the row. She paced, hands on her hips, before them.

"As of now, you are all on the lowest tier you could possibly be at. You are not a member of a faction, nor are you being paid to be here. You will answer to your superiors accordingly, and follow the rules of the base. Sanctum doesn't look kindly to rebels, and we will escort you off the property should you fail to comply to the goals set for you. Wake up call is at oh-five-hundred, from Saturday to Friday. You are to report in with me at oh-six-hundred, and you are not permitted to leave the training grounds until eighteen-hundred. Because you're still recruits, on Sundays you are given temporary leave off the grounds for whatever purpose, but you must be back on the base before midnight, or you will not be allowed to return."

Fang gave one last wide gaze at them all. "Are we clear?"

A chorus of "Yes, ma'am!" replied.

She nodded . "Good. You've all been given room numbers in your papers. You will be lead to the dorms now; Girls on the left, boys on the right; there will be two people per room."

Lightning, like the rest, saluted to Lieutenant Yun, and followed in suit as a PSICOM officer lead them into the far building. The entrance split into two halls; left and right. As Fang had instructed, she followed the other handful of girls into the left, while the slew of boys shuffled to the right.

"13A . . ." that's what her papers said. She followed the hall down, stopping at her designated door.

"You in this room too? 13A?"

Lightning turned, just about to slip the keycard into the door. Next to her was a brunette with a ponytail and a wide grin; she was probably around eighteen. She was in the same uniform, the same colourless shoulder guard. Lightning nodded, and continued with her previous business of opening the door. With a faint beep and click, the door unlocked, and she pushed it open.

"Cool! We're roommates then," the brunette continued, following Lightning into the room. "What's your name? I'm Jesse," she introduced with a friendly smile.

Lightning thought about reciprocating the smile, but found it wasn't quite working. "Lightning," she replied, turning her attention to the room once more.

It was small, as she thought it would be. Half of the room was taken up by a bunk bed, and in the opposite corner were two lockers, both open and empty. There was a one-person desk on the opposite wall to the beds as well, with a lamp. Everything was neutral and metallic.

"Hoo, boy, they really skimp out on these rooms, huh," Jesse whistled from behind Lightning, shifting over to the lockers and stuffing her duffel bag into one.

"They're just recruit rooms; not really a top priority for people who might not even get hired." Lightning followed in suit, putting her bag in the opposite locker. Jesse looked over the bunk.

"You mind if I take the top bunk?" She asked.

"Sure."

Jesse climbed up onto the bunk for good measure, looking back down to Lightning.

"So, you aiming for the GC or PSICOM?"

"GC," Lightning sat on her own bed below, "PSICOM just seems too anonymous. I don't want to get involved in deep Eden secrets like that."

Jesse sighed. "Me too. Luckily my boyfriend is going for GC too, so we probably won't get separated."

Lightning raised a brow, looking out from the bunk bed to look up at her roommate. "You have a boyfriend?"

Jesse grinned again. "Sure do. His name's Biggs; you probably saw him too, ha ha – he was the slob that got his posture smacked by Lieutenant Yun," she laughed.

Lightning could recall the dark-haired boy who the Lieutenant had hit. "That's him?"

"Yup. He's a goof, to be sure, but he's my goof," Jesse mused, before hanging her head down to look at Lightning. "What about you? Any boys out there waiting for you?"

Lightning scoffed. When she registered for the SRTR, she didn't expect it to turn into a sleepover. But Jesse wasn't a bad person, she could tell; just chatty. "No," she answered curtly.

"Oh? What about that silver-haired guy? The older one."

Lightning raised a questioning look.

"I remember seeing you getting out of a guy's car when you got here. I thought, 'hey, she's pretty young! But she looks so badass!' and stuff. You kinda stand out, y'know? But I saw the guy that drove you here and gave you your stuff was some older guy with silver hair. Who's he? Big brother?"

"He's _not_ my—" Wait, it wasn't Snow. It became a reflex to deny her relation to Snow when someone mentioned brothers. "No, he's not. He's a . . . "

Come to think of it, what was he?

"Family friend," she decided, "he lives in Palumpolum, so he just gave me a ride here."

"Ohh." Jesse almost seemed a little disappointed. "That makes sense."

The intercom in the corner of the roof buzzed. "All recruits for the SRTR will report to the outside of the lodges; repeat, all recruits. . ."

"That's us," Jesse hopped off the bed, looking back to Lightning. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah." Lightning stood up, and headed out the door with Jesse.

* * *

He headed to the downtown area. Hope hadn't really bothered to compile some kind of grocery list, but he knew vaguely what to get. He preferred the lower area; there were open food stands and single stores. Things always came fresher from there, even if it wasn't the most well-to-do part of town. Food always seemed fresher there.

"Fruits and vegetables, fresh from the Fal'Cie!" and other similar calls made a menagerie of sound. It was kind of like the background noise on the beaches in Bodhum: a mix of conversations, but all pretty joyous.

"Looking for anything in particular, young man?"

Hope turned. The voice like chiming bells belonged to a young woman with gingery hair and bright green eyes. Her wrists and neck and waist and ankles were littered with bright-coloured beads and woven accessories, all very hand-made.

When he didn't respond, the girl just followed with a smile. "You look a little lost," ginger-curls said.

He shook out of it. "Oh, no I know where I am. I grew up in Palumpolum, I just haven't been here in a long time . . ." he looked back to the market. "I almost forgot what the market looked like."

She laughed, that same, cheerful ringing sound. "Well, how 'bout a refresher then? I'll join you; I've got little to do until my companion gets off work."

Hope nodded. Company wasn't so bad. "I'm Hope."

"Call me Vanille!" She chimed.

**AN:**

_After having such a block on what to do for the last chapter, this one came so easily! Unexpected, to be sure. I've got a few more plot bunnies pertaining to this swimming around in my head, so we'll see where it goes~ Reviews are awesome, as always. Thanks for the support everyone! Please continue to follow me. [/bow]  
_

_By the way; I haven't messed with Fang or Vanille's ages. I just couldn't find a proper reason to, so I decided not to. (Can't mess with it too much, after all.)  
_


	6. Stories

**"Trust me.**  
**I cram thousands of stories in my pockets."**

Vanille was helpful. She seemed rather popular in the market, but it was obvious why, besides her pretty face. She was cheerful and positive, even funny. There was something even nostalgic about it; as to what, he wasn't sure.

They stopped at the local park for a rest, setting the newly purchased bags of produce aside. He got a lot more for less than he had thought – Vanille had played a hand in that, getting discounts from friends. (Though every stand they went to, she introduced the owner as her 'friend'.) She gave a content sigh, leaning back on the park bench. Hope chuckled and sat adjacent to her on a protruding play structure. Little had changed about the park from his childhood; some of the toys sticking out of the sandlot were a little more worn than before, but it was all in the same shapes and forms he remembered. (He could also remember his father telling him that there were nicer parks up town, but none of them were as fun as this one.)

"Are you a big eater?"

Hope shook out of his nostalgia, looking back at Vanille on the bench. "You're not the meatiest guy around – where are you going to put all this food?" she continued with a short laugh.

"Well, it's not just me at my place," He answered, "Sort of, I guess. I guess you could say I'm part-time babysitting." Hope paused and rethought his sentence. "On second thought, I she'd kill me if I said I was babysitting." He would give Snow that one – Lightning would put her military training to good use if he thought he would have to really 'take care' of her.

Vanille was rather intrigued. "Oh? So, if you don't mind me asking, who is it that you're not-babysitting?"

He thought for a minute. What would Lightning classify as?

"A . . . friend's sister-in-law, I guess." He cocked his head in thought, before shaking his head. "It's a long story."

"Well I've got nowhere I need to be soon." Seemed like she was in for a story.

Hope sighed, but not negatively. "I know this guy, Snow. We've known each other for a few years now, but – uh, I guess circumstances didn't let us really get all that close. He lives in Bodhum with his wife – er, Fiancée, I don't think they're married yet." He felt rather rambling. Vanille didn't seem to mind, propping her elbows on her knees and leaning in to listen.

"Anyway, his Fiancée Serah has a younger sister who wants to join the Guardian Corps. I go to Crystallisé U. in Bodhum, so Snow looked up my apartment number and called me up. See, the prep camp for all the Sanctum recruits is –"

"At the Bayside PSICOM base here?" Vanille finished.

"Uh. . . yeah." Hope was a little perplexed.

"I know someone in the GC too," she explained in response to his expression. "So anyway, Serah's sister is the one you're looking after?"

Hope nodded. "Sort of. They stay in dorms on the base, but they're given leave every Sunday for the summer. Snow and Serah asked if I could show Lightning around Palumpolum a bit; make sure she adjusts okay with the training." Hope shrugged. "Personally, I've only known her a good week or so, and I'm pretty sure she doesn't need me around. They're worried for nothing."

Vanille hummed. "Really now? How old is this 'Lightning'?"

"Fifteen," Hope chuckled, "Fifteen going on twenty-one."

Vanille scuffed her feet along the ground as she swung her legs. "Well, there are different kinds of 'strong' in this world. People have strong insides or strong outsides, but nobody can ever see who's the strongest out of everything. They try so hard to perfect whatever 'strength' they hold, while the rest of their 'self' is lacking that power."

Hope was a bit awed. He didn't expect Vanille to be so . . . knowing. She seemed to have an understanding beyond her age. It made him think; what kind of 'strength' did he have? He was average, physically. But his inner power was nothing extraordinary – weak, if nothing else. After all, what else could it be if he still expected a 'welcome home' from his mother after all this time?

All of a sudden, he remembered Lightning earlier that morning – that was the closest thing to a 'good morning' greeting he'd had in a long time.

"Contemplating?"

He must have been spacing out, since Vanille had poked his cheek. After he returned to his senses, she stood up, returning to the bags of produce. "You need to get these home, right? So Lightning has something to eat on Sunday."

Hope nodded. "Thanks for all your help – I can take the rest. Since you helped me out today, do you want to meet up on Sunday? You can meet Lightning for yourself," he offered.

Vanille made an 'o' with her mouth. "Are you hitting on me, Hope?"

He instantly shrank back. Wooing the female race was not his forte. "N-no! Just, uh –"

She laughed at him, hitting his shoulder – a thousand times lighter than Snow's bear-like smacks of friendship. "I'm just kidding. Thanks for the offer, but I've got someone to see on Sunday too. Have a safe trip home, okay? And good luck with Lightning!"

Vanille turned to leave, but as if she had forgotten something, she trotted back, and stood on her tip-toes to whisper into Hope's ear.

_She'll be worth it._

* * *

Training was every bit as brutal as Lightning expected. Through obstacle courses and one-on-one rounds they went, and each day she went back to her and Jesse's room dripping with sweat. Jesse was no different, either; out of breath and sorely lamenting taking the top bunk for the effort it took to get back up the ladder to her designated space.

It was on Friday that Jesse finally tracked Lightning down on the lunch hour. (She normally took her food and sat on her own in the mess hall.)

"Light~!" Jesse called, before getting close enough to take her by the arm.

"What did you call me?" Lightning managed to ask as she was pulled from her place alone, barely managing to take her food with her.

"A nickname," Jesse replied curtly. "Lightning's a mouthful – and Light's cuter, don't you think?"

"I didn't change my name to be cute."

"Ah, but that attitude makes you just adorable!" Jesse gushed, pulling Lightning down to sit at the rectangular table with her. Across from her was a rather doughy young man, probably in his early twenties, with a round face and a red hat that stood against the gray and black of the uniform. He looked up from stuffing himself as she and Jesse sat down. Across from Jesse was another platter of food, though nobody sat at it.

"Who'sh dis?" the round man asked through a mouth of food to Jesse, nudging his fork in Lightning's direction.

"My roomie," Jesse grinned. "I wanted to introduce you guys to her but – where's Biggs?"

"Jess!"

Lightning turned. From behind came another recruit – a boy, ages with Jesse, with dark, messy hair and a wide grin. He was rather gangly, opposite of the other boy across from her. Dark-hair hugged Jesse from behind, before swinging around to sit at the previously unoccupied platter.

"Guys," Jesse began, "This is Lightning, my roommate. Light, these guys are Biggs and Wedge; buddies I grew up with."

They both gave a toothy grin to Lightning – Wedge's was a little delayed, until he swallowed his food.

Biggs looked her over. "Lightning, huh? You're a little . . ."

"Little," Wedge finished with another spoonful of food.

"Hey," Jesse spoke up before the girl in question could, "She's fifteen, leave it be, guys! I think that's pretty damn amazing that you're so steeled to join the Corps at such an age!" the boys nodded in agreement. In the back of her mind, Lightning felt a bit more proud of her decision rather than alienated.

"So!" Biggs sat back in his chair, "Can we call you Light?"

"No," She answered stiffly.

"But Jesse did!"

"Jesse did without consent." Lightning decided then to focus on her food – she hadn't started yet, and the lunch hour was already waning.

Biggs whistled. "Whoa, I think a frigid wind just blew through."

Wedge nodded in agreement.

"Aw, let it go, Light!" Jesse pleaded. "Please? We just wanna be buddies. After all, GC gotta stick together."

After a few bites, Lightning looked up to the rest of them. "You're all aiming for the GC?" She could recall Jesse saying that she and Biggs knew PSICOM wasn't for them.

Wedge nodded. "Yeah. We come from a kind of poor area, so we got this idea—"

"If we all get into the GC, we're gonna go back to our hometown and start a patrol. The area isn't big or populated enough to warrant any real Sanctum police force to watch over it."

Jesse nudged Lightning in the side. "Pretty awesome, huh? We're not just some no-good slum kids, no matter what anyone says."

Lightning slowed her eating. ". . . That is pretty noble of you guys."

"Hell yeah!" Biggs snorted. "You're alright, Light. Come eat with us tomorrow, too."

"Not if you're going to make up nicknames."

"Yes ma'am. . . . Light."

"Stop with the name."

"Aw, c'mon!"

* * *

Jesse caught up with her after the last of the evening laps, as everyone began to drag their sorry, tired carcasses to their rooms.

After a few heavy breaths, Jesse grinned. "So what'cha think of Biggs and Wedge?"

". . . They're lively." To Lightning's displeasure, her own breath was just as laboured. The laps around the base killed. "The skinny one, Biggs – you said he's you're . . ."

"Boyfriend, that's right!" Jesse clasped her hands together. "Sorry if they were a little overwhelming. They're enthusiastic guys – lot's of fun."

Lightning, in her weariness, found she was doing a lot more nodding and humming rather than really replying to all of Jesse's rambling.

"—ty on Sunday. Want to come?"

Lightning locked their room door behind them, only catching the last of her offer. "What?"

"I said," Jesse repeated as she shucked off her uniform and shrugged into her pajamas, "Wedge is gonna go send some letters home, so Biggs and I are gonna go into the city on Sunday. Do you want to come?"

Rather than the offer, what surprised Lightning was how quickly she knew her response.

"I have plans with someone else. Sorry."

**AN:**

_Okay, just a heads up: Don't ever believe anything I say about regular updates. I'm going to assume we all know what __**really**__ happens. I'm so sorry for the wait. _

_So, new sort-of-kind-of OCs-ish! I can't claim them, actually. I wonder, did anyone catch it? Hinthint: Biggs, Jesse and Wedge were all in Final Fantasy VII. I had to throw in some randoms, and apparently those names pop up in a few games. (Besides the immortal Cid.) I also realized later that I, -cough- accidentally spelt Jesse's name wrong. (In my defence, 'Jessie' was spelt 'Jesse' in the demo of FFVII, which was what I played before I played the actual game.) So I hope nobody minds, because, well, she's already appeared in two chapters, so I'm going to keep spelling it the same way. _

_So, the fun Sunday is up next! Since I kind of have that part planned, hopefully that will go faster. If I'm allowed excuses, I've been away on Vacation for the past two weeks, and the free WiFi at the hotel is absolute crap. I haven't been online for more than five minutes straight without it disconnecting on me. This chapter was actually done a week or so ago. Please forgive me! ;;;;;;_

_(PS. Sorry if the pacing might be a little bit slow. It'll pick up soon enough. I-I think. Reviews are awesome!)_


	7. Starry Sky

"**What do you want to talk about today, beneath the starry sky?"**

When Sunday morning finally rolled around, Lightning was rather glad, though for the wrong reasons. After declining Jesse's offer and proceeding to say she was going to spend the day with Hope, her roommate began to do that eyebrow waggle – and it lasted all of Saturday to the morning of Sunday.

"So you're going on a date today, right?"

"It's not a date."

"What a shame."

"What's a shame?"

"That it's not a date!" Jesse was rather insistent. "Come on. A boy invites a girl out for the day; maybe even planned out something to do. I think that passes as a date."

Lightning was solid as always. "Not when said boy was A. Asked by my sister to do it and B. Is six or more years older than me." Hope was twenty-one, or something – ages with Snow, she remembered.

Pursing her lips, the brunette was not amused by her attitude any more. "Age is no reason to deny a possible love!" She cried, throwing her hands up – gestures that the younger was not appreciating. Her jaw nearly hit the floor as Lightning headed for the door of their shared dorm room. "You're not going in that, are you?"

"I can't see why not." Lightning looked herself over – all she did was wear her clean uniform without the shoulder guard.

"Do you not have any other clothes? Like something cuter? Or colourful, even?" Jesse was a little disbelieving. "I mean, I don't have the stature to wear cute stuff – too tall, y'know? But you're the perfect shape! I'm envious and yet you're hiding it under this ugly uniform!"

Lightning was rather offended. "I like the uniform. And my clothes are never . . . colourful."

Jesse wouldn't have it. "At least wear something that isn't the SRTR uniform. Didn't you bring any civvies clothes?"

If she was going to get out the door without Jesse dragging her down, Lightning would have to cave. And cave she did, however begrudgingly. "I have some shorts and a t-shirt that my sister made me pack."

* * *

Hope mulled around the parking lot. He didn't bother to drive down today – public transit was cheap and quick, and would show more of the city than car windows would. He somewhat regretted wearing jeans in the summer heat but it didn't cross his mind for very long. It was apparent he wasn't the only one waiting for someone outside the base. To his left were a few women, probably wives; and his right, a younger boy who he could assume had a sibling or parent in the SRTR.

Every few minutes, someone would walk out of the base – some in uniform, others in casual clothes. He noticed a few in particular; the familiar rose-haired girl (Who _wasn't _in uniform like he had half-expected – a pair of denim shorts and a black fitted tee) as well as a dark-haired boy and a brunette with a high ponytail. He waved when Lightning took notice of him, and she began to separate from the other two to head in his direction. The brunette took notice of Hope as well, and pulled Lightning back a few steps out of hearing range.

A bit out of the loop, Hope slowly put his hand back down.

* * *

"Hold on a sec', Biggs," Jesse said, trading her puzzled boyfriend's hand for Lightning's arm to pull her back.

"What now?" Lightning asked, trying not to sound irritated – but really, she wasn't trying that hard.

"Hot damn!" Jesse kept looking from Hope, who was a short distance away, back to Lightning. "He's a fox!"

"E-excuse me?" Lightning wriggled her arm free, a little appalled at the brunette's praising slang.

Jesse shook her head. "And you're trying to _deny_ that you have a date with _that_ nice piece of –"

"I'm _right here_!"

"—Sorry, Biggs, love you too. But really – go for it! If he's that pretty _and_ single, it's gotta be one of two things."

Lightning could care less about either, she decided, but was going to hear them anyway.

"One – He's gay."

"Hope is not—!"

"Keep an open mind, sweetie. He's already got a girly name," Jesse took Lightning by the shoulders like they were setting a game plan. "Or two – he's got someone in mind. But! The fact that he's setting aside a day to show you around means you might be it!"

The younger wasn't buying it. "I've known him for about two weeks now, and probably spent about 24 hours with him over those two weeks. He's an adult – if he doesn't want to get arrested, he's not going to think of me like that."

Oh. Lightning never felt a sting from her own words before.

* * *

"Uh . . . was there a problem? Back there, with the ponytail girl."

"No. No problems. Jesse just talks a lot, is all."

"Are you su—"

"Are we going around town or not?"

Seeing as the subject was begging to be dropped, Hope shook his head. "Actually, I wanted to show you something else first before we go into town."

Hope rounded the base, making sure the PSICOM watch didn't think he was doing anything suspicious. Around the fence and construction materials, until a pipe twice his size came into view. Lightning could only be confused – especially when Hope beckoned her over to the pipe with him.

"It's . . . a pipe."

Almost proud-looking, Hope rested his hands on his hips. "Yup."

"A gigantic, unused . . . sewage pipe?"

"A gigantic, unused, sewage pipe."

"Why are we here, again?"

Hope laughed, the sound echoing about the rounded walls as he walked into the entrance. "They were going to use it for something-or-other in the renovations years ago, but nobody comes around here anymore. I used to play in these pipes as a kid, and found some pretty cool places."

Lightning sighed. "Did you think I wanted somewhere to play? I'm not a child."

Oh the irony. Hope shook his head, walking further down. He stopped when her footsteps halted a few paces behind him. "C'mon, everyone gets a walk down memory lane, right? This was my favourite escape back in the day."

"You sound like an old man."

"Well, maybe I am. Hurry up, there's more stuff down here."

Lightning rolled her eyes, though seeing little other options, complied. The pipe had been sanded smooth, though over the years it had only deteriorated a little bit. The ground was rougher than the walls from people trekking back and forth through it, though if it had rained, it would probably be slick enough to be dangerous.

"I don't have any interest in your childhood," Lightning deadpanned, "Just so you know."

Hope wasn't amused. "I know. Look – I was asked to show you around Palumpolum, okay? This is my Palumpolum."

He edged farther down the pipe. Lightning thought about turning around and leaving, but he had already gotten her this far – might as well see whatever he had in store for her. It almost looked like there was light at the bottom.

"Palumpolum is known for a couple things, right? Open markets, wealthy estates, the bayside PSICOM base, and of course, the producer of goods that dwells beneath the cliff."

Lightning couldn't quite connect the dots he was laying out for her. "It's the Fal'Cie Carbuncle that's in Palumpolum, right?"

Hope nodded. "Right. For a long time, I was too chicken to find out what was at the end of the tunnel. I only found out a couple years before I left for university, actually." He climbed out of the tunnel, Lightning cautiously following from behind.

The cavern practically radiated a warming glow of oranges and reds and yellows. There were wire frame platforms scattered about the open cave, but none too close to the middle; that was taken up by a gigantic figure. Geometrically, the Fal'Cie Carbuncle resembled something between the cocoon and butterfly stages. Its main body gave an iridescent yellow-orange glow as if lit aflame, while the two appendages to its sides were shaped almost like wings.

"This is . . . ridiculous. How could PSICOM not close up an abandoned pipe that led directly to something as precious as a Fal'Cie?" Lightning gasped at the scene.

Hope crouched, his boots making light taps against the metal tiles. "You see a Fal'Cie up close for what I'm assuming is the first time in your life – and the first adjective you come up with is ridiculous?"

Lightning frowned. "I'm just saying – how did PSICOM miss this?"

Hope dug his hands into his pockets. "Your guess is as good as mine."

She shifted a little – maybe embarrassed. Hope couldn't tell – it was hard to tell what the deepening of a frown meant for her. She did it in so many different contexts.

"You're right. I've never seen a Fal'Cie before," Lightning took a few steps forward, looking up at the Fal'Cie. "And it is pretty . . . amazing, I have to say."

Hope gave a wry smile. "Well, there's a step up from 'ridiculous'."

She whipped around, nearly making him jump when she faced him. "We can't stay here too long. If any Sanctum workers see us here, you'll be fined and I'll be kicked out of the SRTR."

Ah, he hadn't thought of that. "I guess you're right. Though they won't recognize you in civvies."

"That's not the point."

"Alright," Hope conceded, "We'll go. I always found this place to be a good location just to think."

He decided not to relay more than that. His thoughts were always about not wanting to grow up, after all.

"C'mon, there's an exit up to town this way."

* * *

If he was allowed, Hope thought that Lightning's interest in the markets was almost entertaining. Every time she looked back to find him watching her as she cascaded over a shop here or there, she would look away and walk off like it was no longer captivatingly interesting. She would stop at a window, or even peer through a door, but didn't dare go into any of the shops. A couple of times he even caught her staring up at window displays of girlish clothing; something he didn't quite expect.

"If you want to go inside, just say so," Hope piped up after the fourth window she begrudgingly turned away from.

"I don't have any pocket money to spend even if I wanted to," Lightning said matter-of-factly. "I've just never seen so many –"

"Actual stores?" He laughed. "Yeah, that's what most people find when they come into the city. Everything's bought online these days; actually talking face-to-face to get your goods is a rare thing."

"Is shopping like this normal for you?"

"It was when I lived here all year 'round." Hope looked about. Across the street was an open air cafe of sorts. "Hey, you hungry for lunch?"

Lightning shook her head.

He raised a brow. "Really? But it's already like, two o' clock – and we left at eleven."

"I don't have the money to pay for food. I'll just eat when I go back to the base – the mess hall runs twenty-four hours." She answered, and turned to continue walking—

—Only to run into a little boy.

He was half her height, dark-skinned and in overalls. He seemed rather distressed, but managed to stay on his feet after running into Lightning. Since almost every expression of hers looked rather angry, her mild concern seemed to frighten the boy even more. He began to shuffle away, but Lightning took him by the shoulder.

"Is something the matter?" she asked, getting only flustered mumbles from the little boy. "Are you alright?"

"Hold up," Hope said. Lightning's direct approach seemed to do nothing but pressure the boy. Hope knelt to eye-level with him. "Are you supposed to be alone?" He asked calmly.

"I. . . uh, I—no. . ." Though his round face contorted in effort to hold it in, the boy began to tear up and wail. Hope, a little shocked, stood back up, and looked to Lightning.

"Don't look at me! You're the one who made him cry," Lightning accused.

"I thought – okay, I didn't mean to! I was just trying to be nice, I don't really know how to deal with kids!"

"What, you think I do? Serah's the one who knows how to do this kind of stuff!"

All through, the crying didn't cease. "W-wahh, Daddy—!" the boy sobbed – which seemed to bring the two of them back to their senses.

"Your Dad? Oh! You got separated from your dad?" Hope asked. His reply was a deeply snot-filled sniff and a nod. "Okay, uh – well, then let's go talk to the Guardian Corps over there. . ."

Lightning frowned, and took the sobbing boy's hand. "Let's go. I'll help you find your dad."

"What do you think you're doing?" Hope asked, "The GC will have an easier time finding his dad than just us two."

Lightning glared. "Within a year, _I'm_ going to be the GC. Starting early is just fine with me."

The little boy's tears seemed to subside for the moment, as he watched Lightning in a bit of awe. Hope, on the other hand, sighed.

"So, what's your name?" he asked, directing his attention to the lost member. "I'm Hope, and this is Lightning."

"Dajh," the boy mumbled out.

"When did you last see your dad?" Lightning was going to take charge if it killed her.

"Um, store. That way." Dajh pointed southward. Hope could recall a handful of department stores a few blocks down. "I was looking at stuff with Dad, but then my chocobo began to fly away. . ."

Hope was a little stupefied, imagination immediately forging a picture of a great big yellow bird perusing the market. "Chocobo?"

As if on cue, a little yellow bird popped out from Dajh's hood, and chirped appreciatively. "I chased him out of the store, but I ended up here. I went back in the store, but I couldn't find him anywhere, so I went back outside and . . ."

Lightning nodded, and turned to head for the store. "He's probably still around the store area."

"You're gonna help me look for my dad?" Dajh looked up at Lightning hopefully. She nodded – tried to smile, too, but gave up quickly.

Hope shrugged, following after.

They looked around the market for anyone who looked like they were missing a child. Dajh's description of his father was 'a tall guy with big hair and a scruffy chin', so there was little to start with. For a while, the boy even sat on Hope's shoulders in hopes that they could spot the man from far away. That is, until a rumbling came from behind Hope's head.

"Hungry?" he asked, looking up to Dajh sitting on his shoulders. A nod. "Ah, I guess we never did stop for food. I'm hungry too. What about you, Lightning?"

Lightning shook her head. "I told you. I'm going to eat when I go back to the base."

_Grnnnnmble._

"Really now," Hope smirked. Lightning hid her face by looking away and punched him in the arm, which to his dismay, really did hurt. He almost forgot she could take down Snow. "Let's grab something to eat then."

"That one!" Dajh pointed above Hope's view over to the ice cream stand. It was rather hot, being a summer's midday. Something cold sounded better and better.

Hope set Dajh down, leaving him with Lightning to order the snacks. "What kinds do you guys want?"

Dajh wiggled with excitement. "Vanilla!"

"I don't want one."

"Chocolate for Lightning, then."

"Strawberry is bette—" Lightning stopped herself. Her frustration made Hope laugh.

"Strawberry it is."

Hope walked over to the stand, leaving Dajh to grasp at Lightning's hand until she complied to take his.

"Are you and Hope like Daddy and Mommy?"

Lightning hacked a cough. "What?"

Dajh scuffed his feet a little. "This feels like when I used to go out with Daddy and Mommy back in Nautilus. I'd get to sit on Daddy's shoulders and Mommy would walk with Daddy."

Lightning shook her head furiously. "No. Hope is a . . . friend. We're not married or anything like that."

"Are you gonna get married someday though?"

"No!"

Dajh shrank back.

Lightning retook her words. "I mean. . . no. Hope is a lot older than me. People don't really like that, and it's more-or-less illegal."

Dajh knit his brow in thought. "So you're not allowed to marry someone older than you?"

"That's not it either, but –"

"Is something the matter?" Hope returned with three cones in his hands. Dajh beamed a smile wider than possible for his face. He held his hands out eagerly as Hope held out the vanilla cone.

"And strawberry for Lightning."

Hope held the cone out to Lightning, who refused to take it. He held it out. She looked away. He put it to his own mouth –

She snatched it from his hands and spat a thank you.

Hope chuckled. "It matches."

"What does?" Lightning looked about herself.

"Your hair and the ice cream."

". . . whatever."

Dajh looked from Hope, who had his own chocolate cone, to Lightning with her strawberry one.

"It does match!" He nodded.

They continued to walk as they ate, Dajh on the ground this time – one hand holding Lightning's, the other holding his ice cream. Hope walked a little ahead of them, keeping an eye out for anyone that fit the profile for Dajh's father.

From behind him, the chocobo from the boy's hood peered out, and peeped. It pointed to the right insistently with its beak. Following its gaze, there was a dark-haired man in a green pilot jacket walking rather brusquely. "Big hair. . . " Hope looked back. "Hey, Dajh –"

"Daddy!" he had already taken notice of his father, and let go of Lightning to go running through the crowd.

The man in question took notice, face lighting up at the sight of the boy running towards him. "Dajh!" He caught the boy in his arms, holding him in a strong hug. "Where have you been? I've been looking all over for you! –And where did you get the ice cream?"

Hope and Lightning caught up just in time for Dajh to point at the two of them. "Hope and Lightning found me. They helped me find you and bought me ice cream!"

The man looked the two of them over. Lightning's posture seemed to stiffen.

"You two took care of him?"

They nodded.

"Sort of," Hope said.

The man smiled. "I gotta thank you then. When he disappeared, I didn't know what to think."

Dajh looked to the two of them again. "Can I play with you guys again?"

The father laughed heartily. "Well, not today. It's getting late. But if you two 're ever in Nautilus, come find us. Dajh seems to like you."

* * *

They stuck around until Dajh finished his treat, idly chatting with the father – Sazh, as he introduced himself. As a pilot, he had stopped in Palumpolum for the time being because of the ship he flew here. As a single parent without a stable babysitter, he brought Dajh along. Hope gave a proper introduction of Lightning and himself, and once more had to give something of a condensed explanation of his vague relationship with Lightning. He was starting to think that maybe they should sort out some kind of name for it. It wasn't 'friend', it wasn't 'family member' – it certainly wasn't 'significant other', either.

As the sunlight waned, the father and son gave their goodbyes, and the pair thought it best to be on their way. Hope suggested going back to his place for dinner before Lightning returned to the base.

"I thought you couldn't cook?" She said, her scepticism poorly hidden.

"I didn't say I couldn't," he said, as they walked from the bus stop up to his door. "I don't do it often though."

"I thought you lived on your own when you go to school. It's not like you can live off take-out and pre-prepared meals."

"What if I told you I did?"

"I'd say you ought to make better use of your money if you've got it to burn like that."

The meal was actually pleasant. Salad, steamed vegetables, steak, among other various side dishes. For her size, Lightning ate quite a bit. She'd get pretty tall, if she kept packing it in like that. Hope only burned one dish, luckily, to which they both decided not to taste test considering it had been blackened beyond recognition. Conversation was a little sparse, but when it did spark, it felt worth it. He even made Lightning laugh a little. A rare thing, but a savoured victory.

As the evening waned, he noticed she kept looking at her watch, or the clock on the wall.

"When do you have to be back?" he asked, interrupting the conversation. He nearly forgot – when it came to the army, bedtime really meant something. (So you couldn't be a silly child like he was and hide a comic book under your covers with a flashlight or whatever.)

"Before midnight; coming in right at it though is frowned upon though – they don't say it, but you can tell," she answers, rimming the cup of slowly cooling, half-empty coffee mug in her hand.

"Well, it's already eleven; do you want to start heading out? It's only a twenty minute drive," he asked. "Probably shorter, with less traffic at this time of night."

She frowned. "Yeah. . . I guess."

He paused, midway of getting up from his seat. " 'I guess'?"

He seemed to strike a chord in her, since Lightning stood up rather indignantly, downing the last of her lukewarm coffee and leaving the empty cup by the kitchen sink. It was rather hard to watch her scrunch her eyes clothes to swallow the last of the bitter drink; he could more or less assume bitter things weren't her favourite. After all, she had the same cup for the past couple hours – he had two cups already – and out of the corner of his eye when he turned around, he could see her add another teaspoon of sugar. Probably in hopes of easing the bitter taste.

In his minor reverie, she was already at the entrance, lacing her boots back up. He almost wished he hadn't suggested it; now she seemed all too eager to leave.

The car ride was quieter than dinner was. She fiddled with the radio a bit, though nothing seemed to hold her interest, and soon enough she let it be on whatever station it landed on. The car ride felt a little longer than twenty minutes with the silence, but surely it was shorter than that.

He wasn't sure if he should get out of the car, as they stopped at the gate, but Lightning leapt out first. It would be awkward to talk through the car window, since that's what she walked around the car to, so he stepped out for the minute.

". . . Thank you," she said, a little standoffish, looking at the ground. "I had . . . fun, today."

"You look like you need to gag."

"Take the gratitude while it lasts."

He chuckled. "I'm kidding. I actually had fun today too. You're off next Sunday too, right?"

She nodded, more eager than he would've thought.

"Then I'll pick you up at the same time then," He smiled, putting a hand on her head. Her hair was soft like he thought, but he had to rethink letting his hand go any farther to touch her face. (Weird.) He withdrew then. "Good night, Lightning."

She opened her mouth, but it was a minute before any sound came out.

"Call—"

"Call?"

"Call me Light."

He blinked. She felt compelled to explain.

"—Lightning is a mouthful for a regular occasion."

"What about Éclair?"

"That's not my name any more."

"Right," he nodded. "So. . . Light. Just Light." He tested the word, and the different feeling it gave in comparison to Lightning. He vaguely wondered what brought on the nickname after she was so insistent on her new name, but took it as her accepting him more, to some degree. Regardless, he wished her luck with training, and hopped back into the car. She didn't say good night, just nod and give a hesitant wave, before running into the base, flashing her pass at the security guard before entering.

Hope rested his head in a palm. Now. . . to sort out what was good and what was bad out of what he said throughout the day. It was all rather jumbled in his memory now. Over all though, it seemed like a success. A rocky one, but a success nonetheless. Hopefully Lightning – _Light_, he mused – felt the same.

* * *

Jesse had been reading some kind of magazine in her bed when Lightning came back into their shared room. Immediately, the magazine was tossed aside and Jesse peeked over the edge of the bunk, watching her roommate.

"How'd it go? How'd it go?" She asked excitedly.

Something in Lightning's spine tensed as she neatly untied her boots and set them aside. "How'd what go?"

"You kidding me?" she asked bluntly, sitting up. "I mean you're d-a-t!"

"It wasn't a date," Lightning sighed. "And 'date' has an E at the end."

"Now's not the time to point fingers at bad spelling!" Jesse hopped down from her bed, to sit on Lightning's as the other quickly changed from her civvies into pajamas. "C'mon, tell me what happened. Did you kiss? He kissed you didn't he? I _knew_ he was a fox! A sly one at that."

"We did not!" Lightning retorted, face burning hot. "He just showed me around town, and we had dinner at his place. There was nothing romantic about it."

Jesse whistled. "Real swanky. Did he not buy you anything? What, is he stingy or something?"

"No—" Lightning couldn't tell what she was more angry at: Jesse's insistence or her mild jabs at Hope's personality that Lightning hadn't bothered to explain. "He's not stingy. He. . ."

"He~?"

". . . he got ice cream."

"And you shared—"

"—for a lost kid we found."

"Oh well, that's not as fun."

_It was plenty of fun,_ Lightning retorted within the safety of her thoughts. "Are you gonna get off my bed? I want to sleep."

"Yes ma'am," Jesse deadpanned to get her disappointment in the lack of juicy details across. "But seriously, what do you think of him? If I wasn't already tied Biggs, I would jump at this Hope guy. _Whoo-ee_, is he ever—"

Lightning shot her a glare.

"Okay, okay, just kidding. I get it – he's your guy."

"He's not my 'guy'."

"Then that glare is uncalled for!" Jesse humphed, climbing up to her own bed. "You goin' out next Sunday too?"

Lightning debated on answering.

"I'm going to take silence as a yes~" Jesse warned from above.

"Okay okay, we are."

"Excellent," the smile was obvious in Jesse's voice, as Lightning shut off the lights and crawled into her own bed.

"Why do you care so much, anyhow?" Lightning asked after a few moments of silence in the darkness.

" 'Cause, you city kids are fun," Jesse hummed. "And _so_ oblivious to yourselves."

**AN:**

_Hee hee. This was a fun chapter write, for all it took a while. I wanted to give more meat to it; I know short chapters are frustrating, it's totally understandable that you guys want longer. Your feedback is always awesome! This one is double the length of the previous ones, and I hope it lived up to everyone's anticipations. Of course, there will be more Sundays for Hope and Lightning. I really wanted humour – like burning hefskjdfhsjdkfh –so I was glad that this ended up as light-hearted as I was hoping. Or at least, I hope you guys found it funny. After you re-read and edit things, they get less funny, and you wonder if they were even funny in the first place. ;;;;;;;_

_Apologies to anyone who feels a character like Jesse and her crew are out of place – speech-pattern-wise anyhow. Cocoon is always shown to be so advanced and all, in hindsight, I feel like she shouldn't talk way she does, but I can't picture writing her any other way. (I know in FFVII they were all fine and articulate, but well, this isn't FFVII now is it? Ha ha, I'm making excuses.)_

_There will be more drama to come, of course. I haven't quite decided what the next chapter will consist of, but please look forward to it! I'm sure Snow and Serah will also reappear in the near future. (Yes, I also updated the story description; in case anyone was wondering.) Please continue to review! Or even review now if you haven't before! Feedback makes my day.  
_


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